Homeless Man Found Dead Outside Jail After Cops Release Him

A homeless man died just steps away from a Mojave Desert jail early Wednesday, after being released by sheriff's deputies who reportedly decided "he was able to care for himself."

The man's name has yet to be released, but the sheriff's department told the Victor Valley Daily Press that the 50-year-old male was "believed to be a transient."

He turned up dead outside the Victorville jail at 2:03 a.m. on Wednesday, just hours after being released. Deputies had brought him in for being intoxicated in public.

Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene. Sheriff's homicide detectives are now investigating the man found dead outside the jail, according to the San Bernardino Sun.

Victorville is a sprawling exurb in the high desert, 85 miles northeast of Los Angeles. It's a land of high unemployment and high crime where local jails and the many nearby state and federal prisons are major employers.